Lubricating means for sewing machines



March 21, 1939. ZOMS 2,151,308

LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Sept. 9, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l 3 Sydney 2074/68 March 21, 1939. s. ZONIS LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Sept. 9, 1957 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 21, 1939. s, ZONIS LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Sept. 9, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES LUBRICATIN G MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES iydney Zonis, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 162,988

24 Claims.

the thread-carrier raceway of a sewing machine loop-taker when the machine is not in operation,

and which lubricating means is automatically rendered effective upon operation of the machine.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

Thepresent invention is based upon the well known expedient disclosed, for example, in U. S. patents to J. P. Weis, No. 1,348,527, Aug. 3, 1920, and to A. H. De Voe, No. 1,940,399, Dec. 19, 1933, of supplying oil to bearing surfaces by introducing the oil into a hollow shaft endwise of said shaft, the shaft serving as an oil conductor, a preferred embodiment of the invention consisting .in improved means for supplying lubricant to a hollow loop-taken shaft for lubricating the thread-carrier raceway of the loop-taker, as hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 represents a sewing machine, shown partly in vertical section and partly in front elevation, containing the improved lubricating means for the loop-taker of the sewing machine. Fig. 2 represent a bottom plan view of the machine, with the bottom plate of the lubricantchamber or gear-casing removed. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged transverse section of the lubricant-chamber disposed below the machine bedplate. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail view 40 in perspective and partly in section, of the device for directing lubricant into the bore of the loop-taker shaft.- Fig. 5 represents an enlarged detail perspective view of the baflie-member functioning to intercept lubricant agitatedby the loop-taker driving means. Fig. 6 represents an enlarged perspective view of the lubricant-delivery end of the gear-casing plug. Fig. 7 is a detail section of a wall of the gear-casing and illustrates the overflow aperture limiting the depth of lubricant in the casing-chamber.

The sewing machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings has a bedor cloth-plate I, from one end of which rises the standard 2 of a hollow bracket-arm 3 overhanging the cloth-plate 55 and terminating at its free end in a head 4'.

Rotatably journaled in the bracketearm 3 is a horizontally-disposed main actuating shaft 5, carrying at one end a belt-pulley 6 and at its opposite end a crank-disk I. The crank-disk l is 60 connected by a link 8 to a needle-bar 9, journaled for vertical reciprocation in the bracket-arm head 4 and carrying at its lower end a needle I0.

Cooperating with the needle I0 below the clothplate I, in the formation of lock-stitches, is a rotary loop-taker II which, in the present instance, performs two rotations for each reciprocation of the needle. The loop-taker II is con structed substantially in accordance with that fully described in the U. S. patent to C. A. Kessler, No. 2,085,699, June 29, 1937, said loop-taker havin the usual cup-shaped body provided with a loop-seizing beak I2 and with an annular raceway I3. Journaled in the raceway I3 is a threadcarrier I4 restrained, in any usual or suitable manner, against rotation with the loop-taker, and it is the primary object of the present invention to provide means for insuring proper lubrication of said raceway I3. As is well understood by those skilled in the art, the lubricant must be supplied to the raceway so sparingly as not to soil the sewing threads and yet it must be adequate to prevent frictional overheating and undue wear of the parts at high speeds of operation of the machine.

The loop-taker I I has an axially apertured hub I5 connected, by a wick-filled radial duct IS in the body of the loop-taker, with a wick-filled duct I'I opening into the'raceway I3. The hub I5 of the loop-taker is secured by screws, as I8, upon one end of a rotary loop-taker shaft I9 provided with a bore extending throughout the length of said shaft. The end of the shaft I9 within the loop-taker hub I5 is spaced slightly from the inner wall of the loop-taker body to provide a cavity in which one end of the radial duct I6 terminates. A wick 2| is preferably provided within the shaft-bore 20 to conduct the lubricant through said bore.

The loop-taker shaft I9 is journaled in a horizontally apertured and elongatedbearing-bushing 22 secured by a screw 23 in a suitably apertured boss 24 forming an outward extension of one wall 25 of a gear-casing 26. The gear-casing 26 de pends from and is preferably integral with the cloth-plate I and bearing-bushing 22 extends into the chamber or reservoir 21 provided within said gear-casing. The bottom of the gear-casing is closed by a removable plate 28 secured by screws, as 29, to the side walls of said casing, a gasket 30 being preferably employed to seal the joint.

- At its end within the gear-casing chamber 21, the loop-taker shaft I9 carries a spur-gear 3I which is one half the size of and is disposed vertically above a spur-gear 32 in driving engagement therewith. Within the chamber'fl, the driving spur-gear 32 is secured by a screw 33 upon the end of an actuating shaft 34, journaled' horizontally in a bearing-bushing 35 secured by a screw 36 in the wall 31 of the gear-casing 2B opposite to the wall 25 thereof. Like the wall the bushing, said flange functioning as an oilguard minimizing leakage of oil along the shaftbearing aperture of the bushing. The flange 32' also provides for withdrawal, for repair or other purposes, of the shaft 34 without destroying the timing of the loop-taker, because the. gears 3| and 32 remain in mesh when said shaft 34 is withdrawn.

The actuating shaft 34 preferably has its axis of rotation in a vertical plane containing the axes of rotation of the loop-taker shaft I 9 and the main-shaft 5. The actuating shaft 34 is also journaled in a ball-bearing 39 disposed in a suitably apertured lug 40 depending from the clothplate I below the bracket-arm standard 2. Adjacent the ball-bearing 39, the shaft 34 carries a peripherally grooved belt-pulley 4i, connected by a clip-belt 42 with a similar pulley 43 carried by the main shaft 5, the shafts 5 and 34 rotating in one-to-one relationship.

' In order to supply lubricant to the chamber or reservoir 21 of the gear-casing 26 from above the cloth-plate l, the latter is provided with a vertical filling aperture 44 extending downwardly through the gear-casing wall 25 and preferably to the bottom of said wall. The aperture 44 is preferably provided with a suitably apertured cap id. The loop-taker shaft bushing 22 intersects the aperture 44 and is circumferentially provided with a groove 45 located to permit lubricant to flow past said bushing 22. The gear-casing wall 25 is provided, at the lower end thereof, with a slot 46 connecting the filling aperture 44 with the chamber 27. The depth of the lubricant-supply within the chamber 21 is limited by the provision in the boss 24 of an overflow duct 41 leading outwardly from the filling aperture 44 adjlacent,

the bottom end thereof, whereby the teeth of the lower or driving spur-gear 32 dip into the I lubricant supply below the hub of said spur-gear and therefore function as lubrlcant-impelling means. The duct 4'! also serves as an air-vent for the chamber 27 of the gear-casing.

Upon operation of the sewing machine, the spur-gear 32, housed by the casing 25, violently agitates the lubricant-supply located in the bottom of the chamber 21, thereby lubricating the intermeshing gears 3|, 32, andalso the casingbearings for the shafts l9 and 34. In order to minimize the discharge of excess lubricant at the loop-taker end of the shaft l9, the bearing-bushing 22 is preferably provided with a drain-duct 48 adjacent the outer side face of the lug 26.

In the present case, the lubricant-impellingexpedient above described also serves to supply lubricant to the loop-taker raceway E3. The lubricant agitated by the spur-gear 32 is impelled above the-driven spur-gear 3i in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of said driven spur-gear. This is facilitated by rounding the top wall of the chamber 27. The portion of the cloth-plate l forming the top wall of the chamber is preferably provided with a suitably shouldered aperture closed by a transparent, flanged insert 43, of material such as lucite, glass,

1 or the like, thereby providing means for readily observing the presence of an adequate supply of lubricant in the chamber 21.

In order to deliver the proper quantity of lubricant to the bore 20 of the loop-taker shaft l9, there is provided a tubular bathe-member 50 partly cut away to present a concave face 50' in opposition to the movement of the lubricant, thereby to intercept particles thereof. The baffle-member '50 is disposed between the cloth-plate insert 49 and the spur-gear 3|, in close proximity thereto, and extends horizontally from a support comprising a fixed collar 5| provided with an aperture 52 in which the tubular portion of the baffle-member is suitably secured. The collar 5| is secured by a screw 53 upon a. reduced portion 54' of a supporting member 54 extending into the gearcasing chamber 21. In the present case, the supporting member 54 comprises a plug secured by a screw (not shown) in a horizontal aperture 55 provided in the gear-casing lug 38.

The tubular portion of the bailie-member 50 has at the bottom thereof an aperture 56 opening into a vertical lubricant-receiving duct 51 in the collar 5L A restricted duct 58 in the reduced portion 54' of the supporting-member 54 connects the duct 51 with a substantially horizontal aperture 59 provided in said reduced portion 543'.

As is illustrated more particularly in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the reduced portion 54' of the supporting-member 54 has a further reduced extension 50 of inverted semi-cylindrical form, projecting freely into the loop-taker shaft-bore 29.

, The downwardly facing concave opening 6| defined by the extension 69 is in alinement with the aperture 59 above described, whereby said extension 60 constitutes an overhanging wall connecting the aperture 59 and the shaft-bore 29.

The end face of the portion 54' of the supporting member 54 is cut away below the extension 60 thereby to provide a lubricant-drainage and pressure-relieving recess 62 between the delivery-aperture 59 and the shaft-bore 263.

When the sewing machine is in operation, the lubricant impelled by the gears within the gearcasing chamber 21 strikes the concave face of the baflle-member 50 with sufficient force to cause particles of the lubricant to enter the duct 51, pass through the duct 58 and aperture 59, across the control-recess 62, and into the shaft-bore 2d endwlse thereof. The extension Gil overhanging the drainage-recess t2 constitutes a connectingguard insuring that lubricant enters the shaftbore 20, in spite of the centrifugal action of the rotating-gear 39 adjacent the recess 62. However, excess lubricant delivered to the shaft-bore 20 may escape therefrom through said control-recess 62. Furthermore, when the machine is idle, the lubricant remaining in the ducts 5'5, 58 and in the aperture 59 will drain through the control-recess 62 into the chamber 2'0, instead of passing into the shaft-bore 2d.

It will be observed that the quantity of lubricant delivered to the loop-taker shaft-bore 2t is alsoto some extent controlled by the delivering capacityoi the restricted duct 58 in the supporting member 5 3. It will be understood, however, that there will be differences in the pressure of the lubricant at different speeds of operation of the machine, thereby in a sense compensating.

dition which is obtained automatically and obviates any necessity of initially running the machine to clear excess lubricant from the raceway of the looptaker. It will also be noted that the lubricant is not only automatically supplied when the machine is brought into operation, but that the delivery of the lubricant to the shaft-bore is controlled to vary with speed requirements and to obviate excess lubrication of the loop-taker raceway when the machine is in operation.

The wt rk is intermittently advanced by a feed-dog 83, operating through the usual throatplate 64 and opposed by the usual vertically yielding presser-foot 65. The feed-dog 63 is carried by a feed-bar 66, of which one end is pivotally connected to rocker-arms 67 of a feed-advance rock-shaft 68. The other end of the feed-bar 66 is forked to embrace a stud 69 carried by a crankarm ill of a feed-lift rock-shaft H.

The feed-advance rock-shaft 68 is journaled at its opposite ends upon pintles I2 suitably secured in bearing lugs 13 depending from the cloth-plate l. The rock-shaft 68 carries a crankarm 14, to which is pivotally connected one end of a pitman 15. At its opposite end, the pitman 15 has a split strap 16 embracing an adjustable eccentric H which corresponds substantially with that disclosed in the pending U. S. patent application of W. Myers, Serial No. 74,615, filed Apr. 16, 1936. In the present case, the eccentric TI is adjustably carried by the lower actuating shaft 36.

The feed-lift rock-shaft H is also journaled upon pintles l8 suitably secured in bearing-lugs 19 depending from the bed-plate l. The rockshaft H has another crank-arm 80 operatively connected to a pitman Bl having a strap 82 embracing a feed-lift eccentric 83 which is also carried by the actuating shaft 34.

Having thus set forth and nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-supply chamber, a rotary shaft provided with a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway and terminating in said chamber above the level of the lubricant-supply therein, and means disposed within said chamber and effective during the operation of the machine for directing lubricant into said shaft-bore.

2. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary shaft carrying said loop-taker and provided with a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-supply chamber housing one end of said shaft above the level of the lubricant-supply in said chamber, and lubricant-directing means disposed within said chamber and extending into the bore of said shaft.

3. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, means including a conduit coaxial with said loop-taker for directing lubricant to said raceway, a casing pro.- viding a lubricant-supply chamber housing one end of said conduit above the level'of the lubricant-supply in said chamber, and means automatically rendered effective upon operation of the machine for directing lubricant from said chamber into said conduit endwise thereof.

4. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker provided with a longitudinal bore terminating in said chamber and connected with said raceway, and lubricant-agitating means disposed within said chamber and automatically rendered effective upon operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said shaft-bore.

5. In a sewing machine, a lubricant-conducting member having a longitudinal bore, a casing housing one end of said member and providing a lubricant-chamber, lubricant-agitating means disposed within said chamber and rendered effective upon operation of the machine, and means for directing particles of the agitated lubricant into the bore of said member.

6. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary shaft carrying said loop-taker, a lubricant-supply reservoir and means including loop-taker shaft driving devices disposed within said reservoir for supplying lubricant to said raceway.

7. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary loop-taker shaft provided with a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-chamber, said bore terminating in said chamber means for agitating lubricant within said chamber including a driving element disposed within said lubricant-chamber for rotating said shaft, and means for directing particles of the agitated lubricant into said shaftbore.

8. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary shaft provided with a longitudinal lubricant-conducting bore connected with said raceway, a casing providing a lubricant chamber, a rotary actuating shaft, lubricant-impelling means within said casing comprising intermeshing gears carried by said shafts, and means for directing the impelled lubricant into said shaft-bore.

9. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary shaft carrying said loop-taker and having a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, a casing housing one end of said shaft and providing a lubricant-chamber, a rotary actuating shaft, intermeshing gears carried by said shafts within said casing, a baffle-member disposed to intercept particles of the lubricant agitated upon rotation of said actuating shaft, and means for directing lubricant from said baffle-member into said shaft-bore.

10. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a casing providing a chamber designed to contain a limited supply of lubricant, lubricant-conducting means connected with said raceway and disposed in said chamber above the level of the lubricant supply when the chamber is filled to capacity, and means rendered effective upon operation of the machine for supplying lubricant in said chamber to said conducting means.

11. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-chamber and having an outlet port limiting the supply of lubricant within said chamber, means extending into said chamber above the level of the lubricant-supply therein for conducting lubricant from said chamber to said raceway, and means in said chamber automatically rendered effective upon operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said conducting means.

12. In a sewing machine having a cloth-plate, a rotary loop-taker disposed below said clothplate and having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary loop-taker carrying shaft provided with a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, a

- provided with a longitudin casing providing a lubricant-chamber below said cloth-plate and housing one end of said shaft, means for supplying lubricant to said chamber from above the cloth-plate, said chamber having an outlet port limiting the supply of lubricant I within said chamber to a level below said shaft,

and means within said chamber rendered eifective upon operation of the machine for conducting said lubricant into said shaft-bore.

13. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-case raceway, a. rotary shaft provided with a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, a lubricant-supply reservoir, the bore of said shaft terminating in said reservoir above the level of the lubricant-supply therein, a lubricant-impelling member within said reservoir, means for intercepting lubricant impelled by said member, and lubricant-conducting connections provided with excess-lubricant diverting means between the lubricant-intercepting means and said shaft-bore.

14. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, conduit means for directing lubricant to said raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-supply chamber, means for agitating a supply of lubricant within said cham- 'ber upon operation of the machine, means includfrom said duct to said raceway.

16. In a sewing machine, a lubricant-chamber casing having a side wall provided with a substantially vertical filling-aperture and with a slot connecting said filling-aperture with the chamber of said casing adjacent the bottom-wall thereof, said side wall having an overflow port extending outwardly from said filling-aperture above the level of said bottom wall, and a rotary lubricantimpeller disposed within said casing with its axis of rotation transverse to said side wall.

17. In a, sewing machine, a lubricant-reservoir, a rotary shaft longitudinally provided with a lubricant-conducting bore and having one end terminating within said reservoir, means within said reservoir including a stationary lubricantconductor extending into said shaft-bore endwise thereof for supplying lubricant to said shaft-bore,

, and lubricant-delivering means connected with said shaft-bore. r

18. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-case racew y, a lubricant-supply reservoir, a rotary loop aker carrying shaft bore connected with said raceway and terminating in said reservoir, lubricant-impelling means disposed in said. reservoir, and a stationary lubricant-duct connected with said bore and disposed within said reservoir to receive lubricant agitated by said impelling means.

19. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-chamber, lubricant-impellway, saidconducting means being provided with means automatically effective upon stopping of the machine for interrupting further delivery of lubricant.

20. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-chamber, lubricant-impelling means disposed in said chamber for agitating lubricant during the operation of the machine, a rotary loop-taker carrying shaft having a longitudinal bore terminating in said lubricant-chamber and connected with said raceway, and means within said chamber for conducting particles of the agitated lubricant into said shaft-bore, said means including an excess-lubricant controlling device. I

21. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a casing providing a lubricant-chamber, lubricant impelling means disposed in said chamber for agitatinglubricant during the operation of the machine, a

rotary loop-taker carrying shaft having a longitudinal bore terminating in said lubricant-chamber and connected with said raceway, means within said chamber for intercepting particles of the lubricant agitated by said impelling means, and excess-lubricant by-passing connections within said chamber for delivering the lubricant to said shaft bore. 1

22. In a sewing machine having a frame including a work-supporting bed-plate, a rotary loop-taker disposed below said bed-plate and provided with a thread-carrier raceway, a workadvancing feed-dog, a casing below said bedplate providing a lubricant-chamber, substantially parallel rotary loop-taker and feed-actuating shafts journaled below said bed-plate and extending into said lubricant-chamber, said looptakeractuating shaft performing a plurality of rotations for each rotation of said feed-shaft, a lubrlcant-impelling member carried by said feedshaft within said'chamber, means for actuating said feed-dog from said feed-shaft, and means for conducting lubricant abitated by said lubricant-impelling member to said loop-taker raceway.

23. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a lubricant-- supply reservoir, a rotary loop-taker carrying shaftextending into said reservoir and having a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, ,a

rotary actuating shaft, a lubricant-impelling member carried by said actuating shaft within said reservoir, and means for conducting lubricant agitated by said impelling member into said shaft-bore.

24. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having athread-carrier raceway, a lubricantsupply reservoir, a rotary loop-taker carrying shaft extending into said reservoir and having a longitudinal bore connected with said raceway, and means for delivering lubricant to the looptaker shaft bore including, a lubricant-impelling member disposed within said reservoir and rotatable at one half the speed of rotation of said loop-taker carrying shaft, and means for rotating said member. I

SYDNEY ZONIS. 

